Brian Giles revealed Friday that he vetoed a trade to the playoff-bound Red Sox three months ago largely because he expected Boston to put him on the bench and trade him after the season.

By vetoing the trade, Giles stayed with the Padres, a move that paid off for the El Cajon native Friday when the club, as expected, retained him for $9 million rather than say goodbye for $3 million.

“I'm happy,” the right fielder said after the club picked up his option.

Giles, coming off microfracture knee surgery, batted .306 with 40 doubles, 12 home runs and 63 RBI this year. His .398 on-base percentage led the team.

“He's a professional hitter, a guy that kind of really makes our offense go,” said General Manager Kevin Towers. “Those guys are hard to find out there, even in the free-agent market. That was a move that we felt we needed to make. If we had let him go, it would have been $3 million to let go of what I feel is a pretty good asset.”

Giles will turn 38 in January. Towers said he believes that if he had become a free agent, he would have commanded more than $6 million, the difference between his club option and the buyout.

If Giles had accepted a trade to the Red Sox in August, the transfer would have given him a shot at his first World Series ring and secured him an $11 million salary for 2009.

But what Giles didn't reveal until Friday is his belief that Red Sox GM Theo Epstein had told Bick that the Sox probably would have traded Giles during this offseason. By eating part of Giles' '09 salary, the wealthy Sox likely could have built a broad trade market for Giles, whose career on-base percentage .404.

Because a trade to Boston would have kept Giles from gaining full trade-veto rights as a player with 10 years in the majors and five consecutive years with the same club – a rarely obtained hammer that he got by staying with the Padres through August – Giles could not have prevented the Red Sox from sending him to any club of their choosing this offseason. He was able to veto the trade because Boston was one of eight clubs on his no-trade list.

“Playing time going down was the first thing that concerned me,” Giles said Friday. “I would have been on the bench for three or four weeks. I wanted to play.

“The Boston thing, the way it was explained to me, Theo was very honest with Joe. He said there was a good possibility I might be shipped out after the season in a trade.”

Giles now can veto any of the other 29 clubs. If the Padres are out of the playoff race next summer and try to move him, Giles suggested he may be more receptive than he was last August.

“If it would help our organization get better, I'm not saying I would veto a trade,” he said Friday.

But Giles, who rooted for the Padres while growing up in El Cajon, again said that he believes the Padres can contend next year in the National League West.

“I know we lost 99 games last season, but if we can add to our bench and our bullpen, we'll be OK,” he said. “That's how we've won here. Who's to say 84, 85 games won't win the division again? It's a young division, and with youth comes inconsistency.

“I wanted to stay in San Diego and have an opportunity to win.”

With Giles locked up, the Padres have guaranteed $34 million in 2009 salary to five players: Jake Peavy $11 million; Giles $9 million, Khalil Greene $6.5 million, Chris Young $4.5 million and Adrian Gonzalez $3 million. They have offered $4 million to closer Trevor Hoffman and are exploring trades for Peavy and Greene. CEO Sandy Alderson said on Wednesday the Padres have not set a payroll for 2009. He said club executives have discussed a payroll from in the range of $40 million “to something higher.”